Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Futility (2003)

Mariska Hargitay: Detective Olivia Benson

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Quotes 

• Det. Olivia Benson : I made Carrie relive the worst thing that's ever happened to her. I screwed any number of victims who might have sought counseling from Bethany Taylor. And a few less rapes may be reported because of it.

  Elliot Stabler : And if Michael Gardner is convicted, he'll never rape another woman.

  Det. Olivia Benson : It's not worth it. It's not worth the cost.

  Elliot Stabler : To you or them?

  Det. Olivia Benson : I'm not talking about me.

  Elliot Stabler : Yeah, you are. For as long as I have known you, you've always identified with the victims. Now, maybe that's because you're a woman. I don't know. I do know it's one of the things that makes you a great cop. It's also one of the things that makes this job torture sometimes. You can never go back and change things that have already happened, Olivia. You can't. You kill yourself to make something happen or you do nothing.

• Det. Olivia Benson : [after Carrie refuses to testify in court and Olivia tries to talk to her]  Could you tell me why you changed your mind?

  Carrie Huitt : You know why. I don't want to talk to him, I don't want to hear him. You know, I have to get on with my life. I can't keep going back to this.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Carrie, how are you going to get on with your life knowing that Gardner got away with it?

  Carrie Huitt : It's not my fault, it's not my responsibility.

  Bethany Taylor : That's right. You're only responsible for yourself.

  Det. Olivia Benson : [to Bethany]  Did you discuss some of the positive things that could come out of a victim testifying against her rapist?

  Bethany Taylor : [to Carrie]  It's often empowering. The attack was out of your control, but in court you have complete control.

  Det. Olivia Benson : And even though Gardner is doing the questioning, he is bound by the rules of the court. All that you're bound by is the truth.

  Carrie Huitt : I just want I just want to get over it. When am I going to get over it?

  Det. Olivia Benson : Carrie, I have never known a single victim who regretted testifying against her rapist, no matter how hard it was, but I have known plenty that wished that they had. And by then, it was too late.

• Det. Olivia Benson : [to Bethany]  Well, did you tell Carrie what Gardner looked like before the line-up?

  Bethany Taylor : You know I didn't.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Then what does it matter? Tell Preston what you talked about. She'll find it immaterial to the defense, and then no one else has to hear about it.

  Bethany Taylor : Then the precedent is set. And every subsequent rape survivor gets to wonder, "Can I talk about this or will everything I say be broadcast on Court TV?" No one will trust us and no one will report the crimes.

• Det. Olivia Benson : [to Carrie]  You're not wearing your engagement ring.

  Carrie Huitt : Yeah, that was my decision. I didn't want Eric to have to wait around for me to get back to normal. I couldn't have sex without crying. I love him, but I'm never going to be back to normal.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Carrie, I really don't think that this is the right time to be making these kind of decisions.

  Carrie Huitt : When is the right time? You're all sitting around waiting for me to shake this off and get back to normal. You have no idea. I can't sleep more than I hate to be alone. But, God, I hate to be around people more. And I am so afraid to walk outside or be in a crowded place, because, you know, I might see him. And all I can think to myself is it would've been so much better if he'd just killed me. So, that's what I talked to Bethany about because she told me that I could say anything to her and no one would ever know.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Nothing that I do will ever change what happened to you. I can only try to prevent it from happening again. Except everything that I have done has failed. I'm not going to pretend that this is a good thing or that this is a fair thing, but I have to ask you for your help because you are our last chance.

• Det. Olivia Benson : Once the fingerprint came back we apprehended the defendant outside of his home. I advised him of his Miranda rights, detectives Stabler and Tutuola questioned him, with his attorney present, and Carrie Huitt positively identified him as the man who had raped her the night before.

  ADA Alexandra Cabot : Thank you, Detective.

  Michael Gardner : Why didn't you question me, Detective Benson?

  Det. Olivia Benson : I was preparing your victim for the lineup.

  Michael Gardner : Oh. So it wasn't because I punched you earlier that night?

  ADA Alexandra Cabot : Objection! Relevance?

  Michael Gardner : I'm trying to ascertain whether or not the detective has a personal stake in my rest in prosecution.

  Judge Lois Preston : I'll allow it.

  Det. Olivia Benson : I have no personal stake in you.

  Michael Gardner : You're not mad at me? Or, uh, embarrassed that I eluded your grasp in front of your colleagues?

  Det. Olivia Benson : It's not uncommon for a perpetrator to lose control of himself. And I have certainly been hit much harder.

• Det. Olivia Benson : [to Bethany Taylor about Carrie identifying her rapist]  Listen, Bethany, this case lives or dies by her ID.

  Bethany Taylor : So no helping, just emotional support. I'm a rape crisis counselor, Detective. I've done this before.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Yeah, I know. I just really want to get this guy.

• Alex Cabot : [after Carrie tells Olivia that Gardner followed her into a coffee shop]  It's not enough.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Hold on, Alex. You think this is a coincidence?

  Alex Cabot : Probably not, but a judge won't call it a violation. She entered the establishment, so in essence she followed him.

  Elliot Stabler : Gardner's got to know where Carrie lives. He attacked her right in front of her own building. If he's stalking her, he's got to know where she gets her coffee.

  Alex Cabot : His lawyer will argue that they live in the same neighborhood. It's not implausible they would frequent the same places.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Orders of protection are real helpful when you can't enforce them.

• Det. Olivia Benson : Gardner didn't attack Karen Leighton near her home. He got her address from the order of protection. I mean, we try to protect them, and then we end up giving the guy a map to find his victims. I mean, next time we should just drive him there.

• Det. Olivia Benson : This is crap, Alex.

  Alex Cabot : Yeah? 'Cause it looks to me like Michael Gardner making a really good case for tainted identification. I wish you'd told me about this, Olivia.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Hold on. That line-up was not tainted.

  Alex Cabot : How do you know?

  Det. Olivia Benson : What could a rape counselor possibly gain from helping a victim make a false ID?

  Alex Cabot : It doesn't matter what happens, only what appears to have happened.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Oh, come...

  Alex Cabot : If the judge tosses this ID, this case is screwed.

• Judge Lois Preston : [to Olivia about Bethany]  Detective Benson, I need you to take Ms. Taylor into custody for contempt.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Wait, Judge, there's got to be another...

  Judge Lois Preston : Either you do it, or I'll get someone else to.

• Det. Olivia Benson : Bethany, I know you didn't want this, but thank you anyway.

  Bethany Taylor : I didn't do this for you. I did it for Carrie. Want to know what you did, Detective? This is a subpoena from a man who raped another client of mine. He wants her records disclosed. So I was thinking you'd be the perfect person to bully her into waiving her rights.

  Det. Olivia Benson : I did what I had to do to stop Michael Gardner from raping another woman.

  Bethany Taylor : Six of my clients already quit counseling. They don't trust me anymore, but you got your win. Who cares if it's at everyone else's expense?

• Elliot Stabler : [to Erin Russ about Michael Gardner]  Still think your client's an innocent man?

  Det. Olivia Benson : This is no longer a case of mistaken identities or false line-ups. This man is guilty of rape and murder.

  Erin Russ : If I knew where he was I'd tell you.

  Elliot Stabler : People are in imminent danger here.

  Erin Russ : I told you, I don't know where he is. If I hear from him, you're the first call I'll make.

• Erin Russ : [after Michael Gardner is found deceased in Erin Russ' residence and she is presumed to have murdered him]  I found the murder weapon in the car. He denied it, even after I found everything.

  Det. Olivia Benson : If he attacked you, there's nothing you could have done.

  Erin Russ : That's right. Justifiable homicide. If he attacked me.

• John Munch : [after it's revealed that Michael Gardner is nowhere to be found]  Locals are putting Gardner's mug shot on the 11:00 news. It'll be in the papers in the morning.

  Dr. George Huang : But there's still a possibility that he's staying in town despite the danger. He's already shown a propensity for stalking which means that any number of people could be a target.

  Donald Cragen : That's why I want warnings out to the judge, the D.A's, every witness, victim, juror. Anybody who set foot in that courtroom that he could see as an enemy.

  Elliot Stabler : [answers the phone]  Stabler.

  Donald Cragen : That includes you, Olivia. This guy's got a hard-on for you.

  Det. Olivia Benson : Good. I hope he tries something.

  Elliot Stabler : He did try something. Another attack.

• Det. Olivia Benson : [When Olivia stops by Elliot's house]  Where is everybody?

  Elliot Stabler : Kathy took the kids to "La Boheme." Pass.

  Det. Olivia Benson : So on your one night as a bachelor, you go to the grocery store? That's pretty pathetic.

  Elliot Stabler : A grocery store with strippers.